


All That and Even More

by braadvengolor



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, M/M, ggcu, this isnt actually romance but it’s very obvious that there’s feelings going on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26018299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braadvengolor/pseuds/braadvengolor
Summary: Taxi has a very unfortunate chance encounter at a diner and things go poorly, quickly.This is a POV rewrite of All That & More chapters 4-8, exploring that portion of the story from Taxi’s perspective. If you haven’t read that, it should still make sense as it’s own self-contained story.
Relationships: Taxi/Br'aad Vengolor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	All That and Even More

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All That and More](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073004) by [braadvengolor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/braadvengolor/pseuds/braadvengolor). 



> I’ve been meaning to do this for a while & finally got around to it!! I thought it would be interesting to write what’s going on from Taxi’s perspective during that time, and I hope other people find it interesting as well. :)

Taxi waited patiently in the hallway for Br’aad to pack up his things, having left the crowded lecture hall to avoid being in the way of people who had places to be. He leaned against the painted over cinder block walls, resting his messenger bag on the floor for the few moments he had. A minute or so later, Taxi spotted the bright, sunshiney blond of his best friend poking through the crowd. Taxi watched as Br’aad’s eyes scanned the hallway. When he spotted Taxi, his face lit up and he bounced excitedly over to him. 

“Marko’s again?” Taxi asked. 

“Do we ever go anywhere else?” Br’aad replied, shrugging his shoulders. 

Taxi thought for a moment, attempting to recall a time before their post-lecture tradition, “no, now that I think about it, we don’t. But with what Velrisa said-”

“Who cares about what Velrisa said?” Br’aad cut him off. 

“Right.”

Taxi cared quite a bit about what Velrisa had said. He’d been thinking about it all day, the simple, innocent sentences whirling about in his brain like a boogie board trapped in a whirlpool. He started to think about it again. He’d forced the swirling whirlpool to take a backseat while he focused on writing adequate notes for Br’aad, but now that he was done with that task those feelings had bubbled back up and forced themselves back onto center stage. 

Br’aad slipped his arm around Taxi’s elbow, grounding him back in the present. The two of them walked down the hall and out into the chilly spring air. Taxi couldn’t help but notice the warmth of Br’aad’s arm seeping through the layered fabric of his jacket. Taxi also noticed how Br’aad shivered ever so slightly in the air, how he pressed his body closer to Taxi’s. 

Taxi unzipped his jacket, temporarily detaching Br’aad from his sleeve to wrap the left side of his coat and his arm around him. Br’aad snuggled closer to his chest, gently grasping the unzipped edge of Taxi’s jacket. Br’aad’s cheeks were flushed a light pink from the cold, or was it from the closeness of their bodies? Taxi couldn’t tell. He didn’t want to impose his own feelings on Br’aad, and he didn’t want to overthink what could have very well been just the early spring chill painting his cheeks. 

The two of them walked in silence all the way to Marko’s, leaving Taxi alone with his thoughts once again. Taxi didn’t particularly want to be alone with his thoughts, but Br’aad seemed like he was having such a good time taking in the scenery that he didn’t dare interrupt him with whatever banal thing was going to slide out of his mouth. His thoughts slipped, remembering each less-than-witty thing he’d said that day in excruciating detail. His brow furrowed and his jaw tightened. He began to absentmindedly pick at the fingernails on his right hand with his thumb. 

Taxi tried to shake the thoughts away, choosing instead to think about the way that Br’aad felt pressed against him. He was warm, and the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders lightly disturbed the fabric of his shirt. Their heads were pressed so close to each other that Taxi couldn’t avoid the scent of Br’aad’s shampoo. Not that he would have wanted to. The sweet scent of rose enveloped him, putting a part of his racing mind to rest. Br’aad’s hair was soft and silky against his cheek, and in that moment, he had to resist the pull to spin Br’aad around and hold him close to his chest, insulating him from the cold air and raging noise of the street beside them. 

Taxi was so caught up in his thoughts about Br’aad that he had failed to notice that they were already at their destination. Br’aad slipped out from under Taxi’s coat and pulled the door open, walking confidently inside. Br’aad and the owner bantered a bit over the broken doorbell, Taxi paid the conversation no mind. Instead, he placed his messenger bag into one seat of the booth and squeezed himself into the seat that he and Br’aad always shared, trying to leave as much room for Br’aad as he could. 

It hardly made a difference. Br’aad placed his backpack under the table and sat down next to Taxi. Br’aad’s body was firmly squished against Taxi’s, his left arm draped nonchalantly around Br’aad’s shoulders. Nonchalantly, at least, from outside appearances. Taxi spent a moment or two agonizing over his decision to wrap his arm around Br’aad, worried about having crossed some unspoken line between them. Br’aad didn’t seem to care. 

A waitress came over and placed two glasses of water in front of them. The water in the glass was lukewarm, hastily working to melt the already sparse ice cubes as the waitress pulled her notepad out of the leftmost pocket of her apron. She looked nervous. Taxi had never seen her before, he thought it reasonable to assume that she was new. Taxi gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She pulled her pen out from behind her ear, but before she could say a word the owner of the restaurant interrupted her. 

“Don’t bother yourself, Patience. I know what they want,” he called out from behind the counter. 

The waitress put her pen back behind her ear and her notepad back in her apron pocket and awkwardly made her way to sit back down at one of the tables towards the kitchens. 

Taxi and Br’aad sat there in silence for a bit, simply appreciating each other’s company. Neither of them felt the need to say anything. They chose to sit pressed up against each other, watching the sun set outside the window. Br’aad shifted his weight a bit, leaning just a bit more into Taxi’s chest. Taxi’s heart began to beat a bit faster in his chest. He wondered if Br’aad could feel the difference.

After a few minutes, the waitress returned with two plates of food and set them down gently in front of the pair. She stepped back from the table but made no indication she was going to leave. She studied the two of them for a moment. She tilted her head to the side and placed an index finger over her lips, raising her eyebrows as she did. Taxi and Br’aad glanced at each other, and then back at her. 

“Do you two realize there’s booths with wider seats?” she asked, “I mean, it looks like you’re going to fall out of the seat. You could easily just move to a wider booth. Maybe a table?”

Taxi was taken aback by the question. It seemed so obvious. Instead of squeezing into a seat that was far too narrow for the two of them, they could have simply chosen to move themselves to a booth with more room. Taxi thought back to the first time they’d come in to eat, back to the two nervous first-year students trying to figure out a good cheap place to eat in the city they’d found themselves in. 

Taxi looked over at Br’aad. Br’aad was looking at him. In that split second Taxi realized that more room wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was trying in vain to recapture that moment that the two of them had shared when Br’aad had decided to wedge himself into the seat next to Taxi rather than sit in the perfectly good seat right across the table. Across the table wasn’t close enough, not for them. They needed to touch each other, just to be certain that they were real. 

Taxi opened his mouth first, “I suppose we never bothered to change seats, we’ve kind of just always sat here.”

The waitress shrugged her shoulders, shook her head, and walked back behind the counter. 

The two of them got started on their meals. Taxi was lost in thought again, playing the interaction with the waitress over and over again in his head. 

Br’aad turned to Taxi and asked him a question, “Taxi, when do you want to go over your bio notes? You said you wanted to help me with them but you didn’t really say when and so I’m just-”

Taxi interrupted Br’aad, “we could go over them now, if you’re feeling like you’d be able to process them. If you’re not, we could talk about them over lunch tomorrow?”

Br’aad was silent for a moment, mulling over the possibility in his head. He rubbed the edge of his pinky nail with his thumb. He always did that when he was thinking intently about something. Taxi found it ridiculously endearing. Br’aad didn’t have time to finish his thought, the broken doorbell screeched as another customer drifted through the door. 

Taxi immediately recognized the man. His palms got sweaty; his pulse quickened even more than it already had. Standing aloofly just inside the door was Cabin, a man he had hoped to never see again. Taxi tensed up, hoping that if he just stayed still enough that he wouldn’t be noticed. 

Taxi and Cabin had had a drunken encounter nearly a week prior, an encounter that Taxi didn’t want to think much about. Looking at Cabin stirred up memories he’d done his best to let settle. 

Luck was not on Taxi’s side tonight. Cabin’s eyes darted immediately over to Taxi. When they settled on him, they looked him up and down, taking in every detail. Taxi squirmed in his seat. Instead of engaging in any way, he chose to closely study the pattern printed on the tabletop. It didn’t work in the slightest. 

Cabin placed his left hand down on their table, leaning a bit of his weight into it. The table squeaked a quiet protest. Taxi saw him lean down slightly out of the corner of his eye, trying to meet Taxi’s gaze. Taxi continued to look at the surface of the table.

“Didn’t expect to see _you here_ ,” Cabin said with a flirtatious lilt to his voice.

Taxi tensed up, shivering slightly out of sheer discomfort. 

“Didn’t expect to see you here either,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his head and deliberately avoiding looking at him as much as he possibly could. 

“Who’s this? Not your boyfriend, I hope,” he paused for a moment, “that’d be awkward to explain.”

Taxi took that comment like a punch to the gut. He wasn’t exactly keen on revealing any details of his sex life to Br’aad, but Cabin seemed intent on bringing up their encounter to the entire restaurant. Br’aad’s head turned to look at Taxi. Taxi refused to meet his eye. 

“He’s not my boyfriend. What are you doing here, Cabin?” Taxi asked through gritted teeth, finally mustering up the courage to look Cabin in the eye.

“Ouch. I told you, you can call me Cab. You know, since we’ve fucked and all. No need to be so formal,” Cabin said with a sarcastic tone to his voice. 

There it was. Taxi’s private matters dragged unceremoniously into the public. Taxi glanced nervously about, hoping that no one else in the restaurant had heard that comment. 

Much to Taxi’s chagrin, Cabin continued talking, “you know, Taxi, if you ever wanted a reprise, I’m free Saturday.”

Taxi’s face burned. That comment shocked him into silence. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying desperately to muster up any words, just any words at all. In the end, all he could manage was an array of stuttered ums, uhs, and a very quiet “I think I’m alright”. 

“Looks like I’ve really stepped in something here, huh?” he said, analyzing Br’aad’s reaction to his presence.

Too caught up in his own personal hell, Taxi noticed far too late the tempest that was brewing inside of Br’aad. Taxi hadn’t yet noticed the rage plainly present on his best friend’s face, but Cabin certainly had. Taxi looked over at Br’aad. He was shaking, his jaw was tight, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. Tears were dripping down his cheeks. Seeing Br’aad cry was like a knife to Taxi’s gut. 

“Shut **_up_**!” Br’aad shouted, slamming his balled fists into the table. 

If people hadn’t been looking before, they sure were now. The tears that had been pooling under Br’aad’s chin dripped onto the table. He started to hyperventilate, his breaths coming in ragged, desperate gasps as he started to lose control.

Taxi had seen Br’aad have meltdowns before, but this one was particularly intense. He wasn’t sure exactly what to do. 

“Ohh, I _definitely_ see what’s going on here. Yikes, my bad,” Cabin said insincerely, mercifully backing up to allow Br’aad an escape route. 

“Shut up! _Shut up, shut up, shut! Up_!”

Br’aad’s whole body shook, he reached his hands into his hair and grabbed fistfulls of it, beginning to sob uncontrollably. Taxi watched as Br’aad let go of his hair with his right hand, using it to push himself out of the cramped booth. 

Taxi reached out and gently took hold of Br’aad’s arm. Br’aad immediately wrenched his arm out of Taxi’s grasp, stumbling slightly out of the seat to get away from him. 

“Don’t _fucking_ touch me!” Br’aad yelped.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” Taxi said, pulling his arm to his chest. 

Br’aad shoved past Cabin and began to run out of the building and out onto the street. Taxi propelled himself out of the seat, trying to catch up to Br’aad. By the time he made it out of the seat, Br’aad was already out the front door. 

Frantically, Taxi dug in his pants for his wallet. He clumsily grabbed what he hoped was enough money to cover the meal and the tip, slammed it onto the table, and ran out the front door. 

“Sorry if that’s not enough, I’ll be back. Please don’t let anyone take our bags,” Taxi called back, already most of the way out the door. 

“Don’t worry about it kid, I’ve got you. You go after him,” the owner called after him. 

Taxi burst through the door and onto the busy street. Frantically, he turned in circles, desperately looking for clues as to which direction Br’aad went. Not seeing anything, he ran in the direction that they had come from, assuming that Br’aad would try and go back to campus. 

He ran as far as he could, as fast as he could, dodging people and various street decorations as he went. As he ran, his head was flooded with thoughts of all the horrible things that could have happened to Br’aad. What if he wasn’t looking where he was going and he got hurt? What if he got hit by a car? What if he got lost somewhere? What if someone hurt him? 

Taxi had to stop running. His lungs were screaming, his legs exhausted. He paused for a moment, leaning against a building to steady himself. His breathing was ragged, his legs were wobbly. He balled up his fist and slammed it against the bricks of the building. He slunk down, sitting on the ground. 

His lip started to quiver; his eyes slowly filled with tears. He couldn’t hold them back anymore. Silently, tears dripped down his cheeks and onto the concrete. After he caught his breath, Taxi stood back up. Beginning the walk back to Marko’s, defeated. On the way back, he sent Br’aad a quick text. 

7:57:

_Are you alright?_

He got no response. He kept walking. The streets were nearly deserted now. It was starting to get late. It took Taxi a few more minutes to get back to Marko’s. He took deep breaths as he walked, trying to calm himself down. He was sure that Br’aad was alright. He had to be. He didn’t want to confront what he would do if he wasn’t. 

Marko’s closed at eight, but when Taxi knocked on the door the owner still let him in, gesturing towards his backpack still sitting and waiting for him in the seat. He sent Br’aad another text. 

8:03:

_Br’aad?_

He plopped down next to his bag in the seat, slowly slipping the strap over his head. He shifted slightly in the seat, taking a few moments to breathe. He felt something fall against his foot. He looked down. Resting against his foot was Br’aad’s backpack, light blue contrasting against the dark brown of his shoes and pant leg. He reached down, pulling it onto the seat next to him by the strap at the top. 

The waitress from earlier came by and sat down in the seat across from him, the seat that he and Br’aad had shared not even half an hour earlier. She set her cleaning supplies down where the ketchup and mustard had sat, unused. 

“I’m sorry about running out, I had to see if I could-” Taxi started. 

“It’s alright dear, you left me a fifty percent tip. I can’t complain about that. Did you find him?” The waitress asked. 

Tears welled up in Taxi’s eyes again, his breath grew shaky. He shook his head. 

“I’m sure he’ll be alright. He’s a grownup, he can handle himself.”

“I feel so awful about it. Was it my fault?” 

The waitress rested a hand on Taxi’s.

“I don’t think so. Whatever happened, I’d blame that gentleman who came in here and started stirring up shit. If you ask me, he was lookin’ for trouble.” 

Taxi nodded and then stepped out of the booth. He took the straps of Br’aad’s backpack and placed them over his shoulders. It was heavy, carrying both the messenger bag and the backpack. Taxi walked up to the door, but paused for a moment. 

“Thank you, by the way, for keeping our bags here,” Taxi called to the owner, turning back for a moment.

“You’re welcome. Sorry you didn’t find him, kid,” the owner responded. 

Taxi walked back to his dorm room in silence. His thoughts were on a spin cycle, whirling and beating uselessly against the inside of his skull. After he got out of the city, he stopped for a moment to send Br’aad another text. 

8:11:  
_Br’aad, I’m really sorry. I had no idea he’d be there. I should have shut him down, done something. Anything, but I just froze. Please text me back whenever you can. I need to know that you’re alright.  
I tried to run after you but I don’t know which way you went._

Still no response. Just radio silence from the other end. He kept walking. After what felt like eons, Taxi arrived at the front door of his dorm building. He dug around in his bag for a moment, finding his keycard at the bottom of his bag. He pressed the card against the card reader, waiting for a few seconds longer than he would have liked for the machine to buzz and the door to unlock.

He turned to the right, taking the few steps to the stairwell. He hesitated at the door for a moment, breathing a quiet sigh before pushing it open. He took the stairs slowly. Poisonous thoughts filled his head, threatening to spill over. He made it to the top of the stairs, not hesitating at the door leading into the hall. His dorm was down the hall even further to the right. The walk felt longer than usual. 

He slid his keycard in the door, nearly dropping it in the process. Velrisa was sitting at the counter, typing furiously. She didn’t look up from her computer when he entered the room. The room was dark, it was clear that she had been working since before the sun had started to set. 

“You’re back late,” she said, continuing to type.

Taxi didn’t respond. He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t result in him bursting into tears. Velrisa glanced up from her computer, confused by Taxi’s lack of any sort of attempt at an explanation. 

“Taxi? Are you alright?”

Hearing that, the dam broke. Tears streamed down his face; his entire body shook with hiccupping sobs. Taxi put both bags down on the floor, being careful with Br’aad’s backpack to make sure that his laptop wasn’t damaged. Velrisa shut her laptop and stood up immediately. She rushed over to him, guiding him gently toward the couch. 

“What’s going on? What happened?” she asked, sitting down next to him.

“We were a-at dinner, and,” Taxi hiccuped, “and who walks in but fu- fucking _C-C-Cabin_ , and he was being a massive fucking dickhead, and B-Br’aad ran out and I don’t know where he is or if he’s alright and Velrisa what if-” 

“Taxi, Taxi. Breathe, ok? It’s going to be alright.” 

“B-but it’s _not_ going to be alright! He could’ve gotten hurt, he- he could’ve…” Taxi trailed off.

“Could you explain to me what happened, exactly? I’m not sure I understand.”

“Br’aad had a meltdown and he j-just, ran off into the street. I tried to follow him but…”

Taxi started to cry harder, unsteady, heaving sobs shaking him to his core. Velrisa pulled him closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. 

“Here, let me get you a glass of water. It might help you calm down.”

Velrisa stood up, leaving Taxi alone. Taxi reached out to take hold of the blanket on the couch, wrapping it tightly around himself. Tears continued to drip down his chin, his shoulders continued to shake, but he tried feebly to steady his breathing. A few moments later, Velrisa returned with a glass of water with a few ice cubes in it. The glass had simple drawings of geese with blue ribbons around their necks printed on the side. 

Taxi took the glass in his right hand and took a sip. The water was cold, which was odd. Velrisa must’ve gotten him water out of the fridge instead of the tap. No matter how long you ran the tap, the water never got colder than lukewarm. Taxi took another sip, appreciating the coolness of the beverage. 

Drinking the water did actually help him calm down some. It’s very hard to cry while drinking a glass of water, and so Taxi had time to breathe and step back while he drank. It barely helped, but at least his frantic crying had subsided to more of an occasional hiccup. 

Velrisa sat back down next to him, waiting for him to finish drinking. Taxi set the glass down on the coffee table, the ice cubes quietly clattering in the glass as it hit the coaster. 

Taxi reached his arm awkwardly under the blanket, feeling around in his pants for his phone. He eventually grabbed hold of it, dragging it out from underneath the blanket. He sent Br’aad another text. Velrisa turned to Taxi. 

“Are you going to wait up for him?” she asked. 

“Do I have any other choice?” 

“I suppose not.”

There was a moment of silence after that. Neither of them were exactly sure what to say. 

“Would you like to do something to pass the time?” Velrisa broke the silence. 

“Do you have something in mind?”

“My girlfriend gave me her Netflix password; we could see if there’s anything that could keep your mind off of it.”

“There’s nothing good on Netflix anymore,” Taxi said, leaning against Velrisa and covering her legs with a bit of the blanket. 

“I never said it had to be good.”

“That’s fair.”

“I’ve also got some wine leftover from our get-together last week, if you think that’d help.”

Taxi looked up to look Velrisa in the face.

“Bad movies and wine? Are you going to pull out the ice cream next? I’m not going through a breakup, Vel.”

“I did stop by the grocery store today and pick up that fancy caramel ice cream you like.”

Taxi cracked a small smile and shook his head, “alright, fine, you’ve sold me. Just not too much or I’ll fall asleep.” 

The two of them stayed up well into the early morning, Taxi drowning his sorrows in cheap wine and terrible, terrible Netflix originals. Velrisa fell asleep around midnight, but Taxi stayed awake. He paced the room, agonizing over whether or not he should send Br’aad just one more text. He’d already sent so many. He wondered for a moment if he sounded desperate. He decided against it for the moment, choosing instead to finally change out of his clothes from the day. 

He opened the door to his room quietly, making sure not to awaken Velrisa on the couch. He soaked in the darkness for a moment, quietly contemplating the day. He thought of the lecture, the diner, the events of that evening. He wondered where it had all gone wrong. 

As he changed into his pajamas, he analyzed the scene at the diner, picking it apart over and over again, desperately trying to see where he’d fucked up, why what had happened was his fault. Had he been too meek? Too unobservant? Why hadn’t he noticed how Br’aad was feeling? Why hadn’t he done something about it? Why hadn’t he just done something good enough? 

Taxi’s mind was analytical, observant, but he too frequently used it to torture himself. He would analyze and reanalyze situations, finding every single moment in which he’d been anything short of charming and then he would use their sharp edges to tear into himself over and over again. 

Tears started to drip onto his dresser, pooling uncertainly on the faux-wood coating. He sat down on the floor, holding his legs close to his chest. Panic swirled in his mind. Horrible theoreticals clouded his vision, images of Br’aad, images of Cabin, images of himself. Ways he could’ve been better, ways that Br’aad could be suffering, words he could’ve said, fragments of memories of Cabin, they all swirled together into a horrible slurry that filled his throat, suffocating him. 

He began to sob, trying to muffle his cries in his knees so as to not wake Velrisa. He didn’t want to bother her, not that she would’ve been bothered. His breaths came out in hesitant gasps. His body shook. He felt like he was drowning. He was powerless, at the mercy of his own emotions. 

He reached up onto his dresser and grabbed his phone. His hands shook as he typed out a text to Br’aad. 

2:12 am:  
_Please be alright. please_

Taxi crawled up onto his bed, wrapping his covers tightly around himself. He continued to sob quietly, muffling shaky breaths with the thick comforter. Eventually, he did fall asleep. A fitful, restless sleep, but sleep nonetheless. 

He woke up the next day after noon, hours later than he usually woke up. Immediately, he checked his phone. No new messages, apart from an email from his professor. He didn’t bother to read it. 

He blinked a few times. His eyes felt weird. Gritty. He realized that he’d slept in his contacts. He dragged himself out of bed. He rooted around in his nightstand for his glasses case. His hand clasped around it and he pulled it out, tucking it under his armpit. 

Taking a short breath in, Taxi pushed the door to his room open. Velrisa was sitting at the counter. She looked a bit disheveled. Her hair was a bit messy, and she was still in her pajamas. 

“I’m guessing you didn’t sleep well either?” Taxi asked.

Velrisa looked up from her notes. She sighed, shook her head, and then looked back down at her notes. 

Taxi walked into the bathroom. He placed his glasses case down on the counter. He looked at himself in the mirror and very carefully removed his contacts, placing them in the container. His phone buzzed on the counter next to him. Immediately, he clamored to pick it up. 

A text message from Br’aad. 

1:32 pm:  
_i’m ok & i’m sorry_

Taxi wasn’t exactly sure what to say. His mind raced. He began to type something, but then he deleted it. Typing, deleting, retyping. It took him time to find the right words. 

1:34:  
_I’m glad you’re safe. Do you want to talk about it?_

1:34:  
_no. i can't now. i’m sorry taxi. i’m so sorry_

1:35:  
_As long as you’re safe._

Br’aad didn’t have anything to say after that. Taxi didn’t want to press him. He still felt guilty about the diner. 

Taxi put on his glasses, closed the lid to his contacts and pushed the container against the back of the counter. He opened the door and stepped out. 

“Vel, he texted me back! He’s alright,” Taxi exclaimed. 

“That’s good news! Did he say where he went?” She asked in response.

“He didn’t. He still seemed pretty upset. I didn’t want to push him.” 

The next few hours passed quickly, but anxiously. Taxi didn’t do much of anything, Velrisa spent her time studying for exams. Taxi tried to study some but wasn’t very successful. He couldn’t focus. Thoughts of Br’aad filled his head. He wondered what he was doing. He hoped he was feeling better from last night. 

A few hours after the first message, his phone buzzed again. 

5:13:  
_hey. can you talk_

Taxi responded as quickly as he possibly could.

5:13  
_Of course._

5:13:  
_i dont think i want to call you. can we just meet in person? this is rlly important_

5:14  
_If that’s what you need. Do you want to get coffee?_

5:14:  


Right. Br’aad hates coffee, how could he have forgotten?

5:14:  
_Meet me at the dining hall?_

5:15:  
_somewhere quieter?_

5:15:  
_We could talk in my dorm, Vel has a group project she has to work on tonight._

5:16:  
_thats fine. Sylnans gonna have to drive me so i’ll be about an hour_

5:16:  
_Not a problem. I’ll be here all night. :)_

Velrisa left about fifteen minutes later. As Br’aad’s inevitable arrival drew closer and closer, the anxiety bubble in Taxi’s chest slowly grew larger and larger. He started to pace the living room again. 

He grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and poured himself some water from the tap. It was lukewarm. No ice cubes. It didn’t help to calm him down. His hands still shook, his chest still tightened, the bubble still burst. For what felt like the thousandth time that day, tears streamed down Taxi’s cheeks. 

Taxi tried to steady himself, taking deep breaths, trying to focus on the positives. It barely worked. The tears stopped but the anxiety was still there. The fear that all that had happened last night had been his fault still haunted him, its specter still traced his footsteps. 

Taxi stood at the counter, grounding himself in its familiarity. A few moments of peace, the stillness of the lake after a storm. Still tumultuous, but cooler, calmer. The winds had died down, but there was still darkness locked in the depths and clouding the horizon. 

A knock on the door interrupted Taxi’s thoughts, startling him. He knocked his glass of water into the sink. It clanked against the inside of the sink, loud but unharmed. 

“Oh, fuck,” he said, setting it upright. 

Hastily, he walked to the door. He took a deep breath and then swung the door open. 

“Br’aad!” 

There he was, Br’aad, in the flesh. He looked unharmed but shaken. His face was solemn, his form wracked with guilt, but he was there. He was there, standing right in front of him. 

Br’aad said something, but Taxi didn’t hear him.

“Can I hug you?” he asked, still laser-focused on the fact that Br’aad was alright. 

“Huh? Uh, sure?” Br’aad responded uncertainly. 

Taxi hugged Br’aad tightly, taking him in, reveling in the experience of having him close once again. Still shaky from earlier, he began to cry again. Unlike earlier, this time he was crying tears of joy. 

“You’re okay. Oh God— you’re okay. Please never do that to me again, okay?” Taxi mumbled into Br’aad’s shoulder. 

“Taxi, I’m really sorry I wasn’t-”

Taxi paid no attention to what Br’aad was saying, his mind was elsewhere. 

“I know you don’t really like to be held like this, but I just- I can’t- I’m sorry. Just a little bit longer.”

Taxi continued to hold onto Br’aad, committing what he could to memory. Br’aad obviously hadn’t showered since the last time he’d seen him. He didn’t tend to shower every day, but Taxi noticed that today Br’aad smelled of stale beer and earth, coupled with old leather. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t familiar like Br’aad usually was. 

After a few more lingering seconds, Taxi begrudgingly released his hold. He placed both of his hands on Br’aad’s shoulders and stepped back. He looked Br’aad in the face, taking another moment to relish in his presence. 

“Here, come in. We should talk inside.”

They had a lot to talk about, that was for certain. Taxi wanted to apologize for his mistakes, and he was sure Br’aad had things he wanted to say as well.

**Author's Note:**

> This was kinda meant to be a short one-off and ended up being over 5,000 words. Oops.


End file.
